Credit: Warner Bros.Fresh off the failure of The Flash (2023), it seems like Warner Bros. may have another super-sized financial flop on its hands.
This is a weird time for DC Studios. In theory, the studio is on the cusp of a bright new future thanks to the implementation of James Gunn (AKA the writer and director behind Marvel’s mega-successful Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy) now in place as its co-CEO and co-chairman. Gunn is set to lead the first installment in a brand-new, revitalized DC cinematic franchise with the upcoming Superman: Legacy (2025).
At the same time, DC just delivered the biggest box office flop in 100 years of Warner Bros. history. The Flash was a critical and commercial failure, with audiences lambasting its poor CGI, unethical cameos, and PR fiasco that was its ongoing support of Ezra Miller in the wake of their recurrent legal troubles.
The studio still has a few pre-Gunn films to release before he refreshes its cinematic legacy completely. However, rumor has it that one of them is shaping up to be just as much of a financial risk as The Flash.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023) – the follow-up to Aquaman (2018) – was initially greenlit with a budget of $205 million but has since gone significantly over budget thanks to reshoots.
Director James Wan reportedly just completed a third round of reshoots for Aquaman 2. There are, of course, exceptions; however, this many reshoots don’t typically bode overly well for a studio’s faith in a project. The Hollywood Reporter claims that these follow a series of test screenings, as well as a constant back-and-forth between various authorities at DC about whether to include Batman (and, if so, which one to include).
At the same time, it sounds like Warner Bros. is putting a lot of stock on Aquaman 2 as a box office hit. This is unsurprising when you consider the fact that Aquaman already has an existing pull at the box office. The first film, which was also led by Jason Momoa as Aquaman himself, Arthur Curry, raked in an incredible $1.148 billion – a DC best that far exceeded initial projections.
Warner Bros. seems intent on making sure it pulls off something similar the second time around – which, considering the amount of money that’s gone into the project, and has already been lost by The Flash, is more of a necessity than anything else at this point.
Like The Flash, Aquaman 2 doesn’t come without its baggage. Since her high-profile legal drama with ex-husband Johnny Depp, Amber Heard has proved herself a divisive figure. Diehard Depp fans were outraged when Heard continued in her role as Aquaman’s love interest Mera, while Depp was removed from his roles in both Pirates of the Caribbean and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
We’ll have to wait until December to see whether the Aquaman 2 reshoots have (literally) paid off and if Warner Bros. can finally pull off another hit with the last installment in the DC Extended Universe. For the sake of the studio’s finances, fingers crossed, it was worth it.
Are you excited about Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom? Let us know in the comments!